Chapter 218: Plague

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Hundreds if not thousands of faces stare at Liu Jin from all sides of the arena. It is as if everyone in Cloudburst City has come to watch, civilians and soldiers alike. The civilians are all packed in the lower rows, while the soldiers are higher up, and the officers higher still.

“Last time, we were insulted,” Murong Bang tells the crowd from his box seat. The rest of the delegation is sitting behind him. “Our entertainment was called meaningless. Our show was deemed worthless by the one who stands before you!”

The crowd takes that as their cue to boo and throw trash at Liu Jin. A few have very good aim, but Liu Jin’s aura blasts the foul-smelling projectiles away.

“Enough, you worthless dogs! Enough!” Murong Bang yells. He takes a swing from a bottle of wine, emptying it completely before smashing it against the railing. “You know what? He was right!”

That boos and rotten tomatoes halt. The crowd looks at each other and murmurs in confusion. Liu Jin even senses some fear brewing.

“What point is there in watching two kittens claw at each other?” Murong Bang spits to the side. “None! Today, I give you something better. Today, I give you a tiger!”

Murong Bang gestures at Liu Jin with a sweep of his arm.

“This one is not just strong,” Murong Bang continues. “There is meaning in his struggle. He has come to me to warn me of great danger. He is here because those Beyond the Dead Plains lurk beneath our feet.”

Liu Jin’s eyes go wide. He sees a ripple go across the delegation and the high-ranking officers present. Nobody expected Murong Bang to talk of those beyond the Dead Plains in front of so many civilians.

“Surprised? Confused?” Murong Bang asks, clearly enjoying the moment. “It’s natural. What do dogs know of geography? You have heard horror stories about the Dead Plains, no doubt. All children hear them at some point. However, the real terror lies on the other side. Even the Black Dragon spoke of those on the other side of the Dead Plains with caution.”

A hush falls over the crowd. There are no gasps. No whispers. No laughter. It is as if all the seats were suddenly empty. The mere mention of the Black Dragon by Murong Bang is so strong that it robs everyone present of the ability to speak, lest the Black Dragon hear and come for them.

“This one is here because he wants my help against those forces,” Murong Bang says. “He knows if they act, damnation is close at hand. Is that not admirable of him? He is not from this country, yet he seeks to save us by having us put a stop to all our many petty grudges. Gallant, is he not?”

Murong Bang claps his hands sarcastically.

“Still, no matter how foolish, this boy stood up to me. That takes more stones than the rest of you have combined. That’s valuable. There is meaning in him being here today. There is meaning in watching his struggle. Today, he will fight two rounds. If he fails, I will deny him completely. I will focus all my strength on attacking the lands of that fool Dan and watch him crumble under the weight of the Death Fashioning Scripture.”

He says their name without fear, though perhaps they are long past the point where that’s of any concern. What matters is that Murong Bang fully intends to sabotage the entire Storm Dragon Empire if Liu Jin does not win. If General Dan falls, Murong Bang’s lands will follow, and Murong Bang is not foolish enough to ignore that. He might win. He might not. His land and people will be ravaged regardless.

And yet, the crowd cheers, perhaps too foolish to comprehend the magnitude of Murong Bang’s declaration.

“Open the gates!” Murong Bang shouts.

Gears turn as the rusted gates around the arena are raised up, unleashing Liu Jin’s foes.

They are neither beggars nor soldiers but beasts the size of horses. They walk on four legs and are covered in orange fur and black stripes. Their claws are sharp, and smoke comes from their mouths. Liu Jin has little trouble recognizing what they are. Old Jiang educated him on all manner of Spirit Beasts.

Thunder Smoke Tigers.

Ten of them in total.

“Tigers for a tiger!” Murong Bang roars as electricity crackles around the tigers’ bodies. The crowd goes wild. “Let’s see which one prevails!”

The tigers roar and leap at him, large claws glinting under the sun and electricity coursing through their bodies.

[Art of the Roaming Thief]

In the blink of an eye, Liu Jin appears behind one of the tigers. Blue lightning coats his spear as he stabs the Spirit Beast and easily pierces its hide. Liu Jin is in the True Realm while these creatures are merely in the early levels of the Spirit Realm. The difference is enough that Liu Jin briefly considers letting them live. The only thing that stops him from doing so is the near certainty that Murong Bang would find a way to make him regret it.

As Liu Jin pulls out his spear from the tiger, he is surprised by the sight of black blood pouring from its wound.

No. Liu Jin’s eyes narrow. Not black blood.

Maggots.

The tiger howls as dozens of black maggots pour out from its wound. Liu Jin is so surprised that he almost fails to dodge when a tiger jumps at him from behind. His spear lashes out, wounding the beast.

More maggots pour out.

Liu Jin frowns as he blurs between the tigers. Each stab from his spear results in maggots spilling from their bodies. The audience screams as some of them crawl over to the seats.

He understands now.

The tigers were never his foes. In fact, Liu Jin is pretty sure the tigers are barely alive. They were infected by the maggots a long time ago, and now it is the maggots that control their bodies. The Qi he senses from them is actually the Qi of the maggots. Each tiger is infected by a colony, and each member of the colony is so similar to one another that their Qi feels like one creature.

Liu Jin roars as he cuts one of the tigers open, instantly killing the beast. Multiple maggots explode out of the Spirit Beast as though its body were a water balloon. There are thousands of them. Wiggling and squirming around.

Disgusting. Absolutely Disgusting.

Liu Jin glares at Murong Bang. The man laughs, even as the audience screams when the maggots spill over to them. There is no barrier to protect the spectators in this place. Murong Bang knew this would happen. He planned it this way.

Liu Jin blurs as he kills every single tiger. Each kill releases more maggots into the arena. There are so many of them it seems the arena has been flooded by black water. With their hosts dead, the maggots immediately turn to the nearest body that can sustain them.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Liu Jin’s lighting changes from blue to white. All the maggots that try to get close to him are instantly fried and incinerated.

It occurs to Liu Jin that is all he needs to do. The maggots cannot reach him like this, and all the people he cares about in this stadium are too strong to fall prey to these creatures. That only leaves the spectators. Some would say their death would be no big loss. Indeed, Liu Jin is not inclined to disagree.

But if he lets people die because it is convenient to him, what exactly does that make him?

Nothing good, that’s for sure.

[Ground Contraction]

Liu Jin moves.

One time. Ten times. A hundred times. Liu Jin runs in circles around the arena countless times to corral the maggots and prevent them from reaching the seats. He leaves behind a trail of dead maggots wherever he passes as the lightning coursing through his body instantly kills them. With every lap, the black is painted away, and the arena’s sand is turned into brilliant glass.

By the end of it all, Liu Jin stands alone.

There is a single moment of silence before the crowd erupts into cheers. However, all of Liu Jin’s attention is focused on Murong Bang.

“Not bad,” Murong Bang says. His Qi carries his voice to every corner of the arena. The people shiver. Feeling Murong Bang’s Qi is like having a wolf at your throat. “It is not every man that resists being eaten by maggots. Curious thing, isn’t it? Any man is stronger than a maggot, yet so many are eaten by them. It should be unnatural, but it isn’t. The weak work their vile ways and feast on the strong so wearily often.”

Murong Bang stands up.

“You have wasted your energy. You paid too much care to the maggots around you and let yourself be weakened,” Murong Bang tells him. “Do you think you are in any condition to fight what comes next?”

Liu Jin takes a deep breath. Murong Bang is not wrong, holding the white lightning for such a long time is not exactly energy efficient. However, that does not matter.

“I must, so I will,” Liu Jin replies.

“And if I were to jump into the ring right now and declare myself your opponent?”